Windows tablets are stumbling out of the gate so far

The early signs for Microsoft’s (MSFT) entry into tablet market haven’t been very good. Bloomberg reports that “of more than a dozen tablets Microsoft and Intel (INTC) touted for the new version of Windows, only five can be purchased for immediate U.S. delivery.” The five tablets, for anyone who’s curious, are the Microsoft Surface, the Asus Vivo Tab RT, Lenovo’s IdeaPad, the Samsung (005930) ATIV Smart PC, and the Acer (2353) Iconia. To make matters worse, it isn’t easy to find these tablets in retail outlets either since both the Surface and the Iconia “are only available at Microsoft’s own stores, which number just more than 60 for the holidays.” Or as IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell told Bloomberg, “You can hardly even find one… even if you wanted to buy it, it would be difficult.”